(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a carrier for transporting food and water for an animal, and in particular to a multi-compartmented carrier that includes dishes or bowls for feeding and watering the pet without contamination of the food and water supply.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
When traveling with a pet, such as a dog, it is often necessary to carry both pet food and water in the event that the pet requires feeding or watering at a time and place where food or water is not otherwise conveniently available. In order to address this need, it is necessary to provide a container for the food; a container for the water; and a means, such as feeding dishes, for serving the food and water to the pet.
Traveling with all of these items can be cumbersome, bulky and inconvenient. Thus, attempts have been made in the prior art to design a carrier that can be used to store food and/or water within separate compartments in a single unit. Certain of these designs have also included some provision for serving dishes to feed or water the pet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,256 to Clugston, for example, describes a carrier used as a combination feeder and waterer for pets. The carrier includes an inner compartment for holding water. A depression in the top of the carrier serves as a food dish. A water dish is attached to the side of the carrier, with a spout extending from the water compartment into the water dish, so that water can enter the dish from the compartment. There is no provision for carrying multiple servings of food or controlling the amount of food or water consumed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,087 to Prior et al describes a container used to carry food and water for pets. No provision is made for separate feeding dishes. Therefore, the pet eats or drinks directly from the storage compartments of the container. As a result, the pet has access to all of the food and water in the container, resulting in uncontrolled consumption and in contamination of the unconsumed food and water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,315 to Lampe also describes a carrier for holding food and water for a pet. The carrier is essentially a small water dish positioned inside a larger food dish, with a lid on each dish. Since the small dish is inside the larger dish, ants are kept out of the water. Again, the pet has access to all of the contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,363 to McGaha describes a container similar to the Lampe container, in that a water container is positioned inside of a larger food container. The containers may be used both for transportation and feeding. Again, the pet has access to all of the food and water.
Carriers described in the prior art fail to meet all of the requirements for a suitable carrier for pet food and water. These requirements are 1) a configuration whereby all components can be easily carried as a single unit, 2) separate food and water compartments, preferably holding multiple servings of food and water; and 3) food and water serving dishes independent of the storage compartments, so that the pet can be served a defined portion of the food or water without contaminating the remainder of the food or water. Desirably, the serving dishes should be designed for stability when being used, since the food and water will often be served together. Also, the compartments should be provided with large access openings for easy cleaning, and the access openings should be protected as much as possible.